QAYG - Part 3 - Using a Jelly Roll

Hi everyone:


When constructing my latest QAYG project I decided to use a jelly roll. The fabrics would already be coordinated for me and cut, so this would save me time. But... I wanted to add more interest to the table runner and didn't want every strip to be 2 ½", so I decided to trim the jelly roll strips so they would be different widths. Here's how I constructed my table runner:

First, I decided on the finished length and width of the table runner. I cut a piece of batting larger than this and marked off the width and length of the table runner on the batting with a black marker to ensure that my fabric strips would cover this. I would be trimming the pieced top and batting down to this size after I'd finished stitching. 

Getting ready to mark the batting

Batting marked - I should probably have left more of a margin
from the drawn line to the edge of the batting to allow for shrinkage

Next, I opened up the jelly roll and chose one strip to be the centre strip. I wanted the table runner to be symmetrical with strips repeating on either side of the centre strip and I wanted a variety of widths in the fabric strips. I selected a variety of jelly roll strips then laid them out to one side of this centre strip. I made sure that I had more strips than required to cover the batting as I was going to be trimming them in width in the next step. 

I chose the "tape measure" fabric to be the centre strip
and then laid out other strips to either side of it

I randomly trimmed the width of the jelly roll strips so each one was a different width than the strip to either side of it. This added variety and gave interest to the project.
After trimming the width of the strips, I cut each strip in half length-wise and then laid them out on either side of the centre strip, again checking to ensure that the fabric strips would cover the batting base. I had to remember to account for seam allowances, so I overlapped the strips a bit when laying them out.

Note the variety of strip widths

Everything looked okay, so I laid the centre strip over the marked centre line on the batting, laid the second strip on top and sewed them to the batting with a ¼" seam. I then pressed them open. Yeah, the project was started!

I continued to add strips to the right and left of the centre strip, pressing them open as I went along until the batting was covered.

I'm pleased with this project so far and glad that my decision to trim the jelly roll strips added more interest to the table runner. Next I'll have to trim the top and add the backing  to it. Then it will be time to actually quilt it. I guess I'll have to decide on a quilting motif. Any suggestions you have would be appreciated. Just leave them in the

comments below.